


Get Out of the Kitchen

by broedym



Series: Restaurant Wars [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Chef Poe, Cooking, DameRey, Damerey Renaissance, Damerey Resistance, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, Server Rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 11:07:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17559206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broedym/pseuds/broedym
Summary: As they navigate their secret relationship, it’s Rey’s turn in the kitchen when she decides to cook a special dinner for Poe’s birthday.





	Get Out of the Kitchen

**Author's Note:**

> A continuation from If You Can't Stand the Heat... because I couldn't *not* with these two.
> 
> Rated for language and some sexy times.

****“I think we should go away somewhere, get out of the city for a few days,” Rey suggested.

“I only get one night off a week, how is that supposed to work?” replied Poe distractedly.

“Would the restaurant close if you took an extra night off? No,” she said, answering her own question. “It’s your birthday, you’re allowed to celebrate.”

“Do we have to talk about this right now?”

Rey looked down at his flushed face as his hips jerked into hers to speed up the lazy rhythm she’d set while riding him.

She bent forward to place a brief, sweet kiss on his lips. “I’m a woman, I can multitask.”

Poe groaned and took the opportunity to roll them over so she was under him. He thrust into her with more focus but she wasn’t about to be put off.

“If you won’t go away then we could at least go out to dinner,” she said as she held his gaze.

“I thought we weren’t doing that.”

Rey considered his words, knowing it had been at her suggestion. When she and Poe started seeing each other – when flirting after a shift turned into an attraction that neither of them could deny – they were careful that no one at the restaurant knew. She didn’t want to be _that_ server who was sleeping with the boss.

Rose had reinforced this position when she found out (after Rey couldn’t stop grinning when she came home from staying at Poe’s that first night). Her roommate had been aghast when she confessed what had been going on between them, and quickly warned Rey that she was the one who’d be hurt if it ever got out.

“Half the place will be jealous you’re fucking him and the other half won’t trust you because they’ll assume you’re telling him everything that goes on,” Rose had counseled her three months earlier. “And all of them will cry favoritism if you get the shifts they want. You seriously need to be careful if you want to keep working there.”

Rey did want to keep working at _Yavin._ She liked the people (most of them), and the hours didn’t interfere with her studies. She especially liked the money she was able to earn on weekend shifts when the richest patrons came and left generous tips with reassuring regularity. Rey had even been able to start putting away some savings, rather than just scraping by.

She didn’t want to lose her job so she and Poe had had a serious talk about discretion. He had no argument about not letting the staff at the restaurant know, but was a little dismayed at her insistence that they couldn’t be seen in public together. He eventually agreed because the reality was his profile was big enough that if they ate at other restaurants or went to the swanky parties he got invited to, it would get back to someone at _Yavin_ that they were seeing each other.

So during the last few months they got into their own familiar routine – on Mondays the restaurant was closed and Rey had no classes, so they had the entire day and night to spend together. Poe’s apartment was close but not too close to _Yavin_ so they could hang out there. That usually involved plenty of sex (which Rey had to admit he was great at), but it was also his rest day so while Poe slept she could study, or they’d watch a movie together and relax away from prying eyes and gossip.

So far no one was any the wiser. If they wondered why their executive chef was in a better mood most days they didn’t comment. Only Finn brought it up when he and Rose were having dinner with them at Poe’s place one night after a shift – the only one of Poe’s friends to know, which was convenient given he’d started dating Rey’s roommate. Finn predicted the only reason people might guess that something was going on was because Poe didn’t yell in the kitchen so much anymore.

“Apparently I just needed to get laid,” Poe had said with a shrug before Rey slapped his arm.

They might not do the usual couple-y things, but when she’d found out his birthday was coming up Rey didn’t want to let it just pass by. For a week she kept mentioning it, hoping he’d change his mind and want to do something to mark the occasion. But Poe was nonchalant about the whole thing and insisted it wasn’t an important one anyway. Rey didn’t care. Birthdays were the one thing she loved celebrating. She’d festooned the entire apartment with balloons and streamers when it was Rose’s birthday, and they’d put on a party for all their friends. She knew that was out of the question for Poe, but was determined to do something.

And she was still mulling it over while they had sex that night.

“I’ve got it!” Rey exclaimed as Poe continued to concentrate on what he was doing, his face pressed into her neck as he breathed harder. “I’ll get Rose out of the apartment on Monday night and I’ll cook you dinner.”

He paused in his movements and looked at her. “You’ll cook?”

“Yes,” she huffed, vaguely offended. “I can cook... some things.”

“If I say yes will you please stop talking?”

“Uh huh,” she said with a sly smile, shifting her hips and squeezing around him for good measure, watching his pupils dilate in response.

“Jeeeesus… yes. Yes!”

He kissed her hungrily before quickening his pace again. Rey locked her ankles behind him and tangled her fingers in his thick hair.

“Now I have to decide what to cook,” she mused before her breath hitched at his talented ministrations.

Poe groaned again.

 

**********

 

Over the next few days Rey spent an inordinate amount of time looking at cookbooks. Poe had a sizeable collection in his apartment that astounded her, as much as she was dismayed that he had no other books of any kind. She started pulling a few off the shelves while he lay sprawled on his couch in between service times at _Yavin._

“Novels? Literature? Non fiction? You don’t read anything else?” she called out.

“Cookbooks are non fiction,” he pointed out before his attention was drawn back to whatever sport he was watching on TV.

She shook her head and settled at the kitchen counter where she flipped through one of them. Rey had tried to find out what he liked best, but Poe had been quick to assert he ate anything. And he had, after traveling to exotic places around the world she had only dreamed of, eating whatever weird and wild local delicacies he could find.

Her dinner wouldn’t be anywhere near that level of cuisine, but she did want it to be memorable. She knew what his favorite wines were, and had already purchased a bottle of the best red she could afford on her budget. Rey wasn’t big on wine pairings but even she knew that meant red meat of some kind.

Finally, and as a nod to her heritage, she settled on making roast beef and all the accompaniments. Almost everything in Poe’s cookbooks was too complicated for her to attempt anyway. A traditional roast was still ambitious but Rey was confident she could pull it off.

She kept her menu decision to herself as she moved to lie with him on the couch. Poe drew his arms around her and she burrowed in until they both found a comfortable position to take a nap.

He’d made her promise that there would be no presents, so Rey decided to go all out on the meal. As she drifted off to sleep she hoped she could persuade Poe that birthdays weren’t so bad after all. And, more importantly, show him how much he meant to her.

 

**********

 

On the day of Poe’s birthday dinner Rey got an early start. She spent the morning shopping for ingredients in markets she never usually frequented, choosing organic vegetables over the regular kind, and bunches of fresh herbs instead of dried from a packet. Her trip to the butcher shop had been an experience in itself, and she had almost come to terms with the price of the grass-fed beef rump that had been recommended.

With Rose staying at Finn’s overnight, she spent the next few hours cleaning the apartment. Rey was usually pretty neat but for some reason she felt the need to do a full spring clean. She kept the decorations low key, knowing that Poe would appreciate her restraint, but she had bought fresh flowers for the table and her bedroom to make the place look nicer.

She was already weary when she started preparing all the ingredients. Rey regretted her choice of five different vegetables to accompany the roast, but she persevered and spent the rest of the afternoon getting it all ready. Once the roast was in the oven and she set the table, Rey took a shower and got dressed, spending far longer on that than she usually did.

She knew she was being ridiculous when she swore out loud at her hair for not sitting the way she wanted. She adjusted her dress critically and wished she’d been able to get something new. Rey admonished herself, but it didn’t matter – she wanted the night to be special for him. For the both of them, actually.

Poe had been her great surprise. So much of what she assumed about him turned out not to be true. Outside the restaurant he was quieter and more considerate. He made elaborate snacks for her while she was studying, when she would’ve been happy with a bag of chips. If they ended up at his place after an evening shift and she was hungry, he still cooked for her despite having spent 12 hours in the kitchen that day. He never made her feel like she was intruding when she started staying over at his apartment, clearing space for her stuff that had started to accumulate. He didn’t object to the collection of cereal boxes that cluttered his cupboards, because he only ever had black coffee for breakfast and she needed to eat. He even did her laundry with his if she left any clothes lying around.

He was far more open and communicative than she was, too. Rey hadn’t expected that. He told her all the time that he liked cooking for her, he liked watching her eat and introducing her to new things, he liked having her in his apartment, he liked her smile and her sense of humor, he liked the Netflix shows she selected for them to watch, he liked going down on her (and did, more than any other boyfriend had), he liked sleeping in on Monday mornings with her curled up beside him.

That was the problem, though… he _liked._ Rey had known for some time that her feelings for him ran deeper than that. She had fallen in love with him, far too swiftly and easily than she had before. And it was different too – with other men she’d always been wary and quick to pull the plug at the first sign of trouble. But Rey didn’t want that with Poe. If they argued, which they did occasionally, they talked about it. When he pissed her off and he apologized, she got over it.

She slept at his place more nights than she did her own now. He hadn’t commented on that yet, which made her wonder if he hadn’t noticed or it wasn’t as big a deal to him as it was to her. She’d offered to make him dinner for his birthday because she wanted him to feel looked after, the way he made her feel every day. But in the lead up Poe had barely mentioned the evening and she suspected he had no idea how much effort (and money) she’d put into it.

Rey berated herself for her own stupidity. Fall for a guy who’s probably only interested in keeping things casual. That’s smart, she thought miserably. That’s the way to protect yourself from getting hurt.

By the time Poe arrived at seven that night, she had managed to talk herself into a subdued state. Not what she intended for his birthday, but as Rey soon realized Poe didn’t seem to notice her mood.

“Something smells good,” he said when she opened the door. He wore jeans and a black shirt which she always liked in contrast to his chef whites. His curls were messily perfect as he grinned at her through his neatly trimmed beard. Poe stepped in to kiss her before glancing around at the apartment. “Looks good, too.”

Rey closed the door and offered him a half-smile. “Happy birthday.”

“Not my actual birthday yet,” he reminded her. It was true it wasn’t for another two days but he had to work on Wednesday.

He held out his empty hands. “I brought nothing, as instructed. Though you could’ve at least let me bring some wine or something.”

Rey thought about the expensive bottle she had breathing on the table (because apparently that was a thing), and shook her head. “Everything’s taken care of. Come and sit down.”

She poured him a glass and left him on the couch so she could check on the meal.

“Can I help with anything?” he called out after she’d barred him from following her into the kitchen.

“No. Why don’t you put on some music?” She knew he liked her vinyl selection and approved of her retro choices. He’d even bought her a few to add to her collection.

It was hot in the kitchen as she fussed over the green beans she’d forgotten she left on the stove. The roast was out of the oven but the residual heat was making it uncomfortable and Rey more flustered. She already started to regret her insistence on cooking for him and the evening had barely started. So it only got worse when she knocked a tray off the bench as she maneuvered another pot onto the stove and it fell with a loud clatter.

“Everything okay in there?”

“Yes,” she yelled back, annoyed. Just in over my head as per usual, she added silently.

While the other vegetables went on to finish cooking she gathered up the plate of canapés she’d made, wiped her sweaty face, and returned to the living room. Poe was hovering near the table, closer to the kitchen than where she’d left him, and she shooed him back to the couch. He was obviously twitchy over not being allowed to cook but managed not to say anything about it.

“What do we have here?” he asked, eyeing off the platter.

“Potato cakes with smoked salmon and dill creme fraiche.”

“Fancy,” he said with what sounded like a mocking edge to his voice. Rey chose to ignore it and watched as he sampled one. “Nice.”

 _Nice._ It only took her over an hour to make eight that looked like the ones in the recipe, so that seemed appropriate. She gritted her teeth and smiled so as not to curse in his smug face.

Poe proceeded to tell her about an upcoming private function at the restaurant and what he was planning to make, but she was only half listening. She thought about trying one of the canapés herself but she wasn’t hungry after cooking all afternoon. She started to understand why Poe ate so little after a shift compared to her.

Rey tried to rally herself and refilled his wine glass as he continued talking. He grew more animated when he started on about an opportunity he had to go fishing upstate with some friends. He hadn’t mentioned going away before then. But apparently that was worthy of missing a few days and nights in the restaurant, she noted darkly.

“Do you want any more?” she interrupted him after a while, after he’d only had two of the canapés she’d worked so hard on.

“Nah, I’m good, thanks.”

Rey’s cheeks burned as she returned to the kitchen with the remainders. She tried not to think about the wasted ingredients and instead her attention back to the main meal. The last thing she had to do was make the red wine jus, because she’d stupidly decided that gravy wasn’t good enough. While it began to simmer in the pan that she’d used to cook the beef, she started carving the meat.

It was well done on the end but that was to be expected. As she kept cutting she noticed the gray color continued into the center and it was more cooked than she’d wanted. She prayed Poe wouldn’t make a comment about it, given their first disastrous encounter at the restaurant. She still liked to give him shit for that now and then, reminding him what an asshole he’d been to her, and she had really wanted to avoid giving him more ammunition about her and meat temperatures.

As she started serving up the other components, Rey knew things had gone off the rails slightly. The green beans were more yellow than green, the honey-glazed carrots too sweet, and the other roasted vegetables a little drier than they were meant to be. She had doubts about even serving the Yorkshire puddings, realizing that precooking them was probably a mistake.

However there was no turning back now. She poured the thick jus from the pan into a small jug (was jus supposed to be thick, she wondered), and with a deep breath, began to take the serving dishes to the table.

“Wow, look at all this,” Poe said when she allowed him to sit down.

Rey returned to the kitchen one last time for the roast beef and set it down in front of him. She slid into her seat, feeling unnecessarily nervous, and really wishing she cared less about trying to do something special for him.

“I didn’t realize you were going to such an effort,” he commented evenly.

“It’s your birthday.”

His eyes drifted over the table. “What is this?”

“It’s roast beef with all the trimmings,” she replied, a little stunned that she had to explain. She felt the blush rising from her chest to her ears.

“And what are they?” He pointed to the stack of shriveled dough mounds.

“Yorkshire puddings,” she mumbled.

“Wow,” he repeated.

 _Wow._ She knew he was a two-star Michelin chef and something like this was probably beneath his refined palette, but the anger began churning in her gut. Still, she kept her mouth shut as she served up each component on his plate before doing the same for herself.

Rey just wanted to get the meal over with at that point, but Poe poured her a glass of wine and topped up his own in order to make a toast.

“Thank you for my birthday dinner,” he said, his eyes locked with hers. “I can’t remember the last time someone did this for me. I usually just go out.”

Again Rey found herself taken aback and unsure what to say. Was that even a compliment? Would he have rather gone out? Was their limited social life such a burden?

She said nothing but downed half a glass of the expensive wine in one gulp, while Poe smiled obliviously at her and started eating. Rey poked at her food and watched while he tried everything. He gave her a nod and made a few curious sounds she hadn’t heard before, but didn’t say anything about the meal.

“Why aren’t you eating?” he asked after finally noticing that she was just sitting there.

“I am,” she replied defensively and ate some of the meat. She tried to ignore the fact that the jus had hardened into a sticky mess on the plate, or that the rest of it was barely lukewarm. She tried another mouthful but had to stop.

“This is fucking awful,” she admitted quietly.

Poe dropped his head and laughed, he _laughed_ , and Rey saw red. She got up from the table, grabbed both plates, and stormed into the kitchen. She paused for a moment to try and control her temper but with each passing second she felt the fury wane and misery take over. Her eyes filled with tears and she swore at herself for being so pathetic. She wouldn’t cry – not over food, and not over Poe. Maybe her first impressions had been right – he was an asshole.

She swiped at her eyes and went back to collect the rest of the embarrassing dishes. He was still sitting at the table looking slightly bewildered.

“Hey. Hey,” he said again when she ignored him. His hand went to her wrist to stop her from picking up another bowl. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” she snapped, anger returned. “I spent all fucking day cooking this for you and you think it’s all a big joke.”

“I don’t—”

“Do you have _any_ idea what it took to do all of this?”

When Poe looked dubiously at the remaining food on the table she snatched her hand away.

“Wait a minute,” he said quickly and pushed his chair around so she was standing in front of him. He took both of her hands in his and looked up at her. “I didn’t mean to upset you. That’s the last thing I meant to do.”

“Well, you did.” She sniffed loudly. “Jerk.”

“I’m sorry, truly. You did something nice for me and I do appreciate it.” He kissed both her hands. “I am a jerk if you don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

She nodded in agreement. “And you’re an asshole for asking what the Yorkshire puddings were.”

He glanced at them on the table. “That’s fair, especially when they kinda _look_ like assholes.”

Rey took a swipe at his shoulder but she laughed at the truth of it, and at the whole ridiculous situation. She’d gotten herself so worked up over the meal and their relationship, putting pressure on herself and on him. It seemed stupid now. She wiped her face again and allowed him to pull her onto his lap.

“Baby, I’m sorry. I love you, but I gotta tell you… you can’t cook,” Poe said lightly. “But you do plenty of other things so well. It wouldn’t be fair if you could do that too.”

“Like what?” she grumbled, resting her arm around his shoulders.

“Let’s see,” he said thoughtfully. “You call me on my shit like no one I’ve ever been with. You make me laugh. And you’re as smart as hell. And beautiful. You’re so goddamn beautiful I can’t keep my eyes off of you.” He squeezed her waist for emphasis so she’d believe him. “I don’t know why you put up with me but you do and I’m grateful. Every single day I’m grateful for that.”

Rey contemplated all this and decided she was satisfied with his answer. She took hold of his beard and pressed a kiss onto his mouth, then another. Poe sat back and looked at her, uncertainty in his eyes.  

“So are you just gonna ignore what I said before, or…” he trailed off.

She tilted her head towards him. “How could I ignore you insulting my cooking?”

He made a sarcastic face but it didn’t mask the vulnerability in his features which caused hers to soften.

“I said I love you,” he reminded her. “Is that okay? I mean, I know it’s fast.”

Rey nodded, her throat too full to form words. She wasn’t expecting it, had doubted that he was even feeling the same way that she was. But, like he had many times already, Poe surprised her.

“I love you too,” she said quietly, her hand running over his jaw.

A slow smile spread across his face before he leaned up to kiss her again, more thoroughly this time.

“Happy birthday,” Rey whispered into his ear before pressing a warm kiss beneath it. She straightened up in his arms to find him gazing lovingly at her.

“Best birthday present I ever got,” he confirmed, still smiling.

“You haven’t even had dessert yet.”

The smile froze on Poe’s face. “Do we have to?”

When Rey dug her fingers into his side he chuckled and held her tighter.

“If you love me you’ll eat it,” she countered.

“You play dirty. Later then. Let’s go to bed so I can thank you properly for my birthday dinner.” Poe began to kiss her neck in a way that had her squirming in his lap.

“We have to clean up,” she said a little breathlessly after his hand slipped between her knees and began traveling up under her short dress. “Rose’ll kill me if we leave the place like this.”

Poe made a frustrated noise then suddenly heaved up from his chair, forcing her to her feet. “Let’s get started then. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish.”

Rey snorted. “Not me. I cooked – you have to do the dishes. That’s the law.”

“What law?”

“The relationship law. If you hadn’t said I love you then I probably would have helped. But my hands are tied now, buddy. Sorry.”

Poe sucked his bottom lip into his mouth but didn’t argue. He made a show of collecting the serving bowls and cutlery from the table and, balancing them expertly, took them into the kitchen. Rey followed behind and peered over his shoulder when he stopped in the doorway. The bench was still cluttered with food and leftover ingredients, and the sink was piled high with every pot and pan she and Rose owned.

One look was enough for Poe. “Or I could just buy you a new apartment instead,” he offered.

Rey laughed but he still didn’t move. “Wait, you could actually afford to do that, moneybags?”

Poe shrugged.

“Well in that case, I definitely love you,” she said with a wink.

 

**********

 

Rey was starving when she woke the next morning, completely unused to skipping an important meal like dinner. She left Poe sleeping soundly on his stomach while she tended to her own.

She made her usual cereal concoction, this time with four different brands because she had a larger collection to choose from at home. She added yogurt and berries and other bits she could find to make it tastier. For Poe she ran the Mr. Coffee machine and hoped he wouldn’t mind that the coffee came from a can and not freshly ground beans like he had at his place.

With her over-sized cereal bowl in one hand and his coffee in the other she returned to the bedroom. She figured the smell of the coffee would get him up as she climbed back into bed to eat her breakfast but when he stirred and turned his head to squint at her it was for another reason.

“What’s that noise?” he growled. Poe was definitely not a morning person.

“Cereal,” she mumbled with her mouth full of the crunchy mix.

He pushed himself up and into a sitting position against the headboard next to her. She pointed to the mug of coffee by the bed which he picked up gratefully, but soon returned to eyeing off her bowl.

“Want some?” she offered. “You don’t even eat breakfast.”

“For some reason I’m kinda hungry this morning.”

Rey smirked and handed him the bowl. Poe took a big spoonful and began chewing. When he took another one she demanded it back.

“This tastes fucking amazing,” he said without waiting to swallow.

“Shut up,” she griped, not interested in any more of his sarcasm.

“I am not joking.” He stole the spoon and helped himself again. “What did you put in it?”

“It’s my secret recipe,” she replied proudly. “I’ll never tell. But I will make you a bowl if you like.”

“Yes please.” He was already eating another mouthful so she ended up just giving him the rest and was content to watch him eat it. She ran her fingers through his wild curls that she’d made a mess of, and smiled at the memory. Poe did apologies very, _very_ well.

“So I was wondering,” he said as he chewed, “what are you doing Friday night? You’re not rostered on.”

“Studying, I guess. Why?”

“I think we should go out.”

“Aren’t you working?”

Poe shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Finn can cover it.”

Rey was pleased at the suggestion, but it didn’t change the fact that no one was supposed to know about them. “What about laying low?”

“It doesn’t have to be somewhere close by,” he reasoned, turning his head to look at her properly. “If we’re gonna do this, you and me together, we’ll have to deal with everyone eventually, don’t you think?”

She knew it would come out eventually, and that it’d make things difficult if she stayed on at the restaurant. Only it didn’t seem like an insurmountable problem anymore, not when she knew they weren’t just fooling around. That he loved her.

“I haven’t even taken you out on a proper date yet,” he said regretfully. “We should probably see how that goes first.”

“Okay, you can take me on a date Friday night.” Rey grinned at him. “Fair warning, I think I’m going to like it. And you’re going to get lucky after.”

He put the now empty bowl aside and leaned in to kiss her. “I’m already lucky.”

“Then prepare to feel luckier, Poe Dameron,” she said and climbed over his hips to straddle him.

They could start with a date. It wasn’t going public just yet, but it was a good next step. For both of them.

 


End file.
